When you attend a first aid or CPR course you might ask yourself, “if I start CPR, how long do I perform CPR for?” Where is that point where you realise CPR hasn’t worked? “How will I know that the person isn’t coming back to life?”

These are the questions I frequently hear on first aid courses, and they are excellent questions. The answer you would be given on a course is that you continue CPR until:

the person comes back to life

the paramedics arrive to take over from you

or you physically are completely unable to carry on

But why?

Why don’t you just give up after 10, 20, 30 minutes when it seems clear the person isn’t coming back to life?

The answer is that the goal of CPR is not really to bring a person back to life.

The goal of CPR is to delay brain injury and tissue death.

Our main goal in CPR as we push on the victims chest is to pump blood around the body, which carries oxygen to the brain. As long as oxygen is getting to the brain, the brain cells won’t die, and there is still a chance once the paramedics arrive with their equipment and medications, they will be able to revive the person. In a way, while we are performing CPR on a victim they are neither dead or alive. As soon as we stop they are effectually dead. This is why we keep going. This is why it doesn’t matter if we see no signs of life and perform CPR for 45 minutes before the ambulance arrive. As long as we perform the role of the heart and pump oxygen to the brain, there is still a chance the person can be revived.

If you were ever in the situation of needing to perform CPR on a person – just keep going! The current records of time CPR performed and the person surviving are in first place: a man in Minnesota 96 minutes! and runner up; a man in Washington 86 minutes CPR.

Step 1
Sit the person upright
 Be calm and reassuring
 Do not leave them aloneStep 2
Give 4 puffs of blue reliever puffer medication
 Use a spacer if there is one
 Shake puffer
 Put 1 puff into spacer
 Take 4 breaths from spacer
 Repeat until 4 puffs have been taken
REMEMBER: SHAKE, 1 PUFF, 4 BREATHSStep 3
If there is no improvement give 4 more puffs as aboveStep 4If there is still no improvement call emergency assistance (DIAL OOO)* (AUSTRALIA)
 Say ‘ambulance’ and that someone is having an asthma attack
 Keep giving 4 puffs every 4 minutes until emergency assistance
arrives
*If calling Triple Zero (000) does not work on your mobile phone, try 112

Don’t delay treatment. If you have the symptoms of a severe asthma attack and you haven’t got your blue/grey puffer – call emergency assistance DIAL 000

Many people face a first aid situation and find themselves unsure, “should I call the ambulance?”

Not knowing when or if you should call the ambulance may mean the difference between life or death.

In Australian you can call the ambulance on 000

The operator will ask for your address and details and then question you about the nature of your emergency. During this conversation the emergency services operator will be able to advise you of any first aid that you should be providing, they will even talk you through how to provide CPR if you have forgotten.

A general rule of thumb is: if the person is in too much pain to move them – call the ambulance. For example, if a person falls off a ladder and appears to have broken their arm, but they are not too distressed, you may choose to transport them to the emergency department, or doctors clinic in your car. However, if that person was unable to move at all without experiencing a great deal of pain – call the ambulance. The ambulance crew will be able to provide pain relief as they transport the person to seek medical care.

The other rule of thumb is: whenever a person is losing consciousness or is at risk of doing so. For example – any unconscious person must have an ambulance called for them.

If you suspect a person is having a heart attack, stroke, anaphylactic shock event, severe asthma attack, they are bleeding a large volume of blood, or they have very severe burns – call the ambulance. All of these events are beyond a first aider and require prompt medical intervention.

The decider is not only in how quick can you or the ambulance make it to the hospital, but also in what the ambulance crew can provide on route. You may think you can make it to the hospital pretty quickly, but you must ask yourself, what will you do if the casualty you are transporting goes unconscious in your car? You will not be able to provide pain relief, CPR, manage their airway or any suspected spinal injuries while you are driving the car. The paramedics can manage all of these events while they transport the person in the ambulance.

There is a new first aid course in Australia that is for all teachers, childcare workers and people who offer childcare in their homes; it is called HLTAID004 Provide an Emergency First Aid Response in Education/Care Setting

Previously teachers and childcare workers would have completed a first aid course PLUS an anaphylaxis course PLUS an asthma course. This new course incorporates all 3 courses.

Asthma and anaphylaxis are becoming more and more common in children and so it is a growing concern that teachers and workers are familiar with the conditions and how to recognise, treat and manage them.

The course will teach you about anatomy of infants and children and how to manage emergencies specifically in that context. Due to the extensive information, many companies are providing two day training, but Port Lincoln Training runs a one day practical training, with a multi-choice online test, completed in your own time.

Our trainer Kylie is a nurse, with many years experience teaching first aid. Kylie also has a daughter with asthma and severe allergies; including experiencing 3x anaphylactic shock events. This means that you will learn about asthma and anaphylaxis in children according to the curriculum, backed up with vital real life experience from a nursing and family environment.

The question isn’t really how often do I need first aid? But rather, will I know first aid when I need it?

Studies show that just months after learning CPR most people have forgotten how to effectively provide CPR.

Crazy huh? That’s why the Australian Resuscitation Council recommend updating your CPR every 12 months. And in Australia, Provide First Aid is the qualification recommended for workplace first aiders, this is valid for 3 years.

Look, the last thing you want to do in an emergency is lose your head. If you panic you will not be able to assess the danger/safety of the whole situation first, and you may make yourself casualty number 2. The best way to ensure you are level headed enough to remain calm, is to update your first aid learning regularly, so it becomes second nature.

So. Would you remember how to do CPR today? How many other live saving techniques would you remember? Would you be able to keep cool in an emergency today?

In Australia, the first aid qualification required by most workplaces would be the HLTAID003 Provide First Aid, (previously called Senior First Aid, or Apply First Aid). People are always asking me, “how often do I need to do another first aid course?”.

The answer is every 3 years for the full course, and in most cases, every year for the CPR component.

The Provide First Aid qualification is valid for 3 years. If you renew, by attending another first aid course, before your certificate expires – then you are generally eligible for a ‘Refresher’ course. If your Provide First Aid certificate has expired – even by one day – you will generally be required to complete the full Provide First Aid course. Some training organisations will require you to attend training over 2 full days, at extra cost. At Port Lincoln Training we require just the 1 day of face to face training, for the same cost of a Refresher.

As for the CPR – well, it’s not so cut and dried. The recommendation from the Australian Resuscitation Council is that CPR should be updated every 12 months, this is based on many studies that show we just don’t retain our CPR training for very long. That is the recommendation, but it does depend on your industry if they will require you to update your CPR every 12 months. The CPR qualification is called HLTAID001 Provide Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.

So, check the date of your previous first aid certificate and book a new course just before your old one expires to be eligible for the Refresher. Check with your workplace if they require you to update your CPR each 12 months – but honestly, for a morning update session on how to provide CPR, which may possibly help to save your family members life – consider re-booking every 12 months to update your CPR skills.

When any person is not responding and not breathing normally, they need you to push hard and fast on the center of their chest 30 times. Then you should; tilt their head up, close their nose, place your mouth over their mouth and give them rescue breaths – or mouth to mouth, for 2 breaths.

This whole procedure is called CPR – cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

It totally may save a person’s life.

However, here are some reasons people might ask, “do I have to do mouth to mouth?”

The good news is that unconscious humans probably have oxygen still in their system, and when you provide chest compressions hard and fast – you are pushing that oxygen rich blood to their brain, effectively delaying death. This is why the Australian Resuscitation Council recommend if you are unable or unwilling to do mouth to mouth, you should just continuously do chest compressions. Any attempt at resuscitation is better than no attempt at all.

The science behind compression’s only CPR it is valid – as you push on the chest, blood pressure builds up, and each time you stop for any reason, even to give mouth to mouth, the blood pressure drops back to ‘0’. Continuous chest compressions keeps the blood pressure up and oxygen pumping to the brain. So you are doing a great thing if you choose just to give compression only CPR!

It is still encouraged to provide mouth to mouth if you can, especially for children and babies. Children and babies are more likely to have had a breathing issue than an electrical heart issue, which means they may have gone a while without oxygen and will benefit from more oxygen being breathed into them. It is also especially good for people who have nearly drowned, as in the process of drowning a victim uses up a lot of their oxygen.

You can always use a mask device to give mouth to mouth – this will eliminate any ‘yuck’ factor as well. Workplace first aid kits will have these, you could also buy one to keep in your car, or a small version to keep on your key ring.

So – “do I have to do mouth to mouth?” Then answer is: we want you to, but if you are unable or unwilling – just push hard and fast on the victims chest until the ambulance arrives or the person comes back to life. You may totally save that persons life.

What is a USI and why do I need one? The next time you enrol into a course you may be asked for your Unique Student Identifier (USI) number.

In Australia from 1st January 2015 all students enrolling in nationally recognised training will have their training and results recorded under their USI.

IS ANYONE EXEMPT?

First Aid Courses through Port Lincoln Training will be exempt from collecting your USI at this point as will several first aid companies, due to security concerns for some clients working within defense and national security industries.

Certain individuals may be exempt from requiring a USI if they complete training outside of Australia, and if there are strong valid reasons for applying to not comply.

WHAT DO I THINK OF THE USI REGISTRY?

Personally I think it will be a good tool for future use. I can’t tell you how many times people try to apply for a Refresher course but are not eligible because they have lost their previous certificate – meaning extra work for them. Also, many of us are now required to keep CPD or continuous professional development records; the USI registry will give you access to print out your transcript or an extract of your transcript which will be ample proof for your industry. I also think it is a good move to have all these records online and no longer in paper form, it looks like the government are getting with the times.

If you do not have a Unique Student Identifier, why not apply for one now? You only need to have a basic form of ID such as your drivers licence or Medicare number to register. Keep it in a safe place and then next time you enrol in a nationally recognised course you will be a step ahead of the rest, ready with your USI number. Watch this easy video below to find out how to register:

Last night my 12 year old daughter was sprayed in the face with a broken glo-stick. Luckily my 14 year old daughter came to the rescue by immediately helping her to flush her eyes with water. This is because she has listened as I’ve taught her little bits of first aid over the years (the 12 year old obviously hasn’t been quite as good at listening….)

Over 14 years of playdates, I’ve seen a lot of kids who have been cut not know how to manage bleeding. They will invariably place the wound under water and allow it bleed freely, or do things like suck the blood (ew), or squeeze the wound causing it to bleed more. Basic first aid knowledge would guide them to apply pressure to the wound, elevate and seek help.

As kids become teens they often have no immediate adult supervision and will be left to handle first aid situations on their own with their peers.

Sometimes they may even delay getting adult help if they are injured in the course of being a bit naughty – eg playing with a knife in the shed, or playing with matches when they aren’t meant to, or perhaps getting burned as they experiment with cooking alone…

Kids and teens definitely do need to know what to do to manage basic first aid, and to know how to recognise its an emergency and time to call 000 (Australia)

At Port Lincoln Training we love to teach kids and teens basic first aid – including changing their idea that the Australia Emergency phone number is not 911!!! (Its 000:)

So what does all that mean to your average joe?

The code ‘HLT’ is for Health, “AID” is for First Aid, and the numbers show the progression in complexity.

It all means that you should find your next first aid course pleasantly simpler, with more focus on practicing CPR and first aid assistance.

If your workplace is asking you to get your first aid certificate, you will most likely be looking at the HLTAID003 Provide First Aid. This is the general course that covers most principles on how to manage first aid situations. You might hear it called by it’s old names ‘Senior First Aid” or “Apply First Aid”.

For those in the child care and education sector – the HLTAL004 Provide First Aid Emergency Response in Education/Care Setting is a one day course and workbook that encompasses the previous requirement of attending 3 courses; Apply First Aid, Asthma and Anaphylaxis courses.

The HLTAID006 Advanced First Aid is a full on 2 day course covering all the principles of managing emergency first aid situations, including focusing on spinal care and basic triage of a multi trauma incident.

The next one up HLTAID007 is a one day course that includes how to administer oxygen to a casualty.

HLTAID008 is for people who service and provide updated first aid kits for organisations.

No doubt there will be more changes in the future, and another round of rebranding in a few years. As our understanding of how to assist an injured person changes – so must the training. We are a long way on from rolling recently deceased over a barrel or pumping air into their mouths using a fire billow! But perhaps we still have a way to go to get it all right. At this point in history we are trying to motivate as many people as possible to assist a casualty; so the focus is on empowering people to provide CPR. If you would like to know more about the changes in the first aid courses, or find out which course is right for you, we would love for you to contact us or book into any of our courses.